Best European Project Management Tools (2026): 14 Tools Compared

The best European project management tool is OpenProject (Germany): open source, agile boards and Gantt charts in one tool, free to self-host, with an EU cloud on Scaleway from €5.95 per user a month. If you want the most features for a small team, pick YouTrack from JetBrains (Netherlands) – free for up to 10 users, though its cloud runs on AWS.

Project management software is where your plans, deadlines, client names and internal discussions live – often more sensitive than your email. Most of the well-known tools, from Jira and Asana to Monday and ClickUp, are run by companies outside Europe. A European vendor gives you a contract under EU law, a support team in your time zone and, in the best cases, servers in Europe that no US provider controls. I compared fifteen project management tools from Europe – the ones the market tracks plus a few I found myself – and kept fourteen. For each one you get who is behind it, where it hosts your data, what it costs and who it suits.

Looking to leave a specific tool? See my ranking of the best European alternatives to Jira.

What are the best European project management tools?

If you only have a minute: these are the European project management tools I would choose, in order. Each one is reviewed below.

1. OpenProject (Germany) – open-source agile and classic project management. Best overall.
2. YouTrack (Netherlands) – issues, agile boards, Gantt, wiki and helpdesk. Best for software teams.
3. Stackfield (Germany) – tasks, Gantt, chat and files with end-to-end encryption. Best for regulated teams.
4. Planio (Germany) – hosted Redmine with Git and help desk. Best for small dev teams.
5. Projektron BCS (Germany) – project management plus ERP. Best for service companies.
6. Taiga (Spain) – open-source Scrum and Kanban. Best for agile teams on a budget.
7. awork (Germany) – capacity planning and time tracking. Best for agencies.
8. MeisterTask (Germany) – friendly Kanban boards with a free plan. Best for non-technical teams.
9. Zenkit (Germany) – Kanban, table, Gantt and mind map views. Best for flexible views.
10. Vikunja (Germany) – open-source to-do and Kanban app. Best for self-hosters.
11. Nextcloud Deck (Germany) – Kanban inside Nextcloud. Best if you already run Nextcloud.
12. Sayr (Ireland) – project management with a public roadmap portal. Best for product feedback.
13. freispace (Germany) – resource scheduling for media companies. Best for post-production.
14. HelpSpace (Germany) – help desk with task boards. Best for support teams.

European project management tools compared

Prices from public pricing pages. Affiliate links and sponsored placements are labelled.

“Data hosted in” shows where each tool’s main domain or app runs, based on a DNS lookup and an ASN check of its IP address (25 Oct 2026). Where the vendor names its data centre, that is shown too.

How I chose the European project management tools

I looked at fifteen tools from the EU and kept fourteen. The order is driven by how complete the project management features are, then by data sovereignty and privacy, then by price. Concretely, I weighed five things:

• Features – tasks and issues, boards, Gantt or timelines, workflows, time tracking and reporting.
• Jurisdiction and hosting – where the company is registered, who owns it, and whether the cloud runs on European infrastructure or on AWS or Azure.
• Self-hosting and open source – whether you can run it on your own servers.
• Price – the free tier and the cheapest paid plan.
• What users say – ratings on Trustpilot, read together with the number of reviews.

Zenkit’s former separate product Zenkit Projects now redirects to the main Zenkit app, so I list it once as Zenkit. freispace and HelpSpace are specialised tools – resource planning for media companies and a help desk with task boards – so they sit at the end. All data comes from the vendors’ own pricing, imprint, security and documentation pages and from Trustpilot, checked on 25 October 2026.

The best European project management tools, reviewed

The top ten get the full treatment: who is behind them, what users say, what they offer and lack, pros and cons and my opinion. The specialised tools after that get a shorter entry.

1. OpenProject

Open-source project management from Berlin – agile and classic, self-hosted or in an EU cloud

OpenProject is developed by OpenProject GmbH in Berlin, led by founder and CEO Niels Lindenthal. The software is licensed under the GPL version 3 and has about 16,000 stars on GitHub. OpenProject says that from March 2026 the French provider Scaleway is the sole data centre provider for its EU cloud, with certified German data centres available on request. The openproject.org website runs on AWS in Frankfurt.

What users say. OpenProject has 4.4/5 from 11 reviews on Trustpilot – a small sample. Reviewers praise fair support and self-hosting; one found the options confusing at first.

What it offers – and what it lacks. OpenProject covers work packages, backlogs, Scrum and Kanban boards, Gantt charts, roadmaps, time and cost tracking, wikis and meetings, and a free Jira Migrator for Jira Server and Data Center. The Corporate plan adds Nextcloud and openDesk integration. What it lacks: paid plans start at 25 users, and the interface takes time to learn.

Facts: HQ Germany (Berlin) · Community edition free (self-hosted) · Basic €5.95, Professional €10.95, Premium €15.95 per user a month, billed yearly · minimum 25 users (100 for Premium) · open source (GPLv3) · EU cloud on Scaleway.

My take: OpenProject is the most complete European project management tool you can also run yourself. It sits first because it combines breadth – agile and classic – with the strongest sovereignty story: open code, a German company and a French cloud. Best for: organisations that want open source and full control of their data. Not for: very small teams that want a paid cloud plan.

Visit openproject.org →

2. YouTrack

Issues, agile boards, Gantt, knowledge base and helpdesk – free for 10 users

YouTrack is made by JetBrains, founded in Prague in 2000; its corporate overview names JetBrains N.V. in Amsterdam as headquarters and describes the company as privately owned. YouTrack Cloud runs on Amazon Web Services, in a region you pick when you create the instance (Frankfurt and Ireland in the EU). YouTrack Server runs on your own machines.

What users say. JetBrains has 2.6/5 from 102 reviews on Trustpilot, a company-wide profile where most reviews are about its IDEs and AI subscriptions.

What it offers – and what it lacks. A flexible issue tracker with workflows, Scrum and Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, a knowledge base, a helpdesk with SLAs, free AI features and native iOS and Android apps. What it lacks: the cloud depends on AWS, and its extension ecosystem is smaller than Atlassian’s.

Facts: HQ Netherlands (Amsterdam) · free plan: 10 users, 30 GB · Cloud from €4.50 per user a month billed yearly · Server free for 10 users, €900 a year for 15 · SOC 2 compliant.

My take: Feature for feature, YouTrack beats everything else here and is my first choice for teams leaving Jira. In this overall ranking it is second because the cloud version runs on AWS – self-host YouTrack Server if that matters to you. Best for: software and product teams. Not for: teams that must avoid US clouds and cannot self-host.

Visit jetbrains.com →

Full YouTrack review →

3. Stackfield

Tasks, Gantt, chat and files in one tool, encrypted and hosted in Germany

Stackfield GmbH is based in Munich, managed by Cristian Mudure, and says it has been trusted by over 10,000 companies since 2012. Data is stored on German servers, and Stackfield holds ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certificates and a BSI C5 attestation. Its website runs on the network of the German provider SOPRADO.

What users say. Stackfield has a single review on Trustpilot, which criticises support – too few to judge.

What it offers – and what it lacks. List, Kanban and Gantt views, milestones, workflows, time tracking, portfolios and PERT charts, plus team chat, video conferences, pages, whiteboards and file storage, with optional end-to-end encryption. What it lacks: no Scrum backlog or sprints, and the best features sit in the €18 Premium plan.

Facts: HQ Germany (Munich) · since 2012 · Starter €9, Business €14, Premium €18, Enterprise €28 per user a month billed yearly, excl. VAT · 14-day trial · ISO 27001, BSI C5 · on-premises available.

My take: Stackfield is the safest all-in-one choice for teams that need compliance paperwork. It replaces a project tool and a team chat at once. Best for: law firms, public bodies and regulated companies. Not for: Scrum teams.

Visit stackfield.com →

4. Planio

Hosted Redmine from Berlin – issues, Git, help desk and chat for a flat monthly price

Planio GmbH in Berlin, managed by Jan Schulz-Hofen, has run Planio since 2009. It is based on the open-source Redmine and adds hosting, Git and Subversion repositories, a help desk, file storage and team chat. Its servers run at Hetzner in Germany.

What users say. Planio has 4.1/5 from 220 reviews on Trustpilot – the best-rated tool here with a meaningful number of reviews. Users praise responsive support.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Configurable issues and role-based workflows, an agile board for Scrum sprints, milestones, Gantt charts and code repositories. What it lacks: plans cap active projects and users, and the Redmine interface looks dated.

Facts: HQ Germany (Berlin) · since 2009 · free Bronze plan: 1 project, 2 users · Silver €19 a month (5 users, 3 projects) to Platinum €199 (45 users) · month-to-month · free data import and SQL export.

My take: Planio is the reliable, German-hosted choice for teams that want issues and code in one place, and its users are the happiest in this list. Best for: small development and IT teams. Not for: companies with dozens of parallel projects.

Visit plan.io →

5. Projektron BCS

Project management and ERP for service companies, on-premises or SaaS

Projektron GmbH in Berlin makes BCS, which the company says more than 850 companies use. It is sold as an on-premises licence or as SaaS; the website is hosted by the German provider dogado, and the pricing page does not say where the SaaS runs.

What users say. Projektron has no reviews on Trustpilot yet.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Scrum and Kanban, planning and controlling, time and expense recording, resource planning, CRM, quotes, invoicing with e-invoicing, a ticket system and interfaces to Jira, Microsoft 365, SAP and DATEV. What it lacks: no free plan, and it is a company-wide system rather than a quick team tool.

Facts: HQ Germany (Berlin) · BCS licence €300–350 per user · SaaS at 5% of the licence price per user · BCS.light €20 per licence a month (SaaS, 6-month minimum) or €200 per licence · prices excl. VAT.

My take: If you bill your projects, BCS covers the whole chain from quote to invoice. For a team that only needs tasks, it is far more than necessary. Best for: consultancies, engineering and IT service firms. Not for: small teams that just need boards.

Visit projektron.de →

6. Taiga

Open-source Scrum and Kanban from Spain

Taiga started at a Kaleidos hackathon in 2013. Its privacy policy names the Spanish branch of Kaleidos Inc. in Madrid and Taiga Cloud Services S.L. in Vigo as joint controllers. The code is under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and the cloud runs on servers of the Spanish provider Aitire.

What users say. Taiga has 2.5/5 from only 5 reviews on Trustpilot – too few to judge.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Backlog and sprint planning with epics and sub-tasks, Kanban with swimlanes and WIP limits, issues, a wiki and custom reports. What it lacks: no Gantt or portfolio view, and the free cloud plan is very small.

Facts: HQ Spain (Madrid and Vigo) · started 2013 · free: 1 private project, 3 members · paid: $5 per member a month yearly, $7 monthly · self-hosting free · open source (MPL 2.0).

My take: Taiga is a lean Scrum and Kanban tool with European hosting and open code. It ranks behind the broader tools because it covers only the agile part of project management. Best for: small agile teams and open-source projects. Not for: teams that plan with timelines.

Visit taiga.io →

7. awork

Projects, capacity planning and time tracking for agencies

awork GmbH was founded in 2019 in Hamburg by Tobias Hagenau, Lucas Bauche and Nils Czernig, and is VC-funded with €12 million raised. awork says it is hosted on ISO 27001-certified Microsoft servers in Germany; the app runs behind Microsoft’s Azure Front Door.

What users say. awork has 4.4/5 from 28 reviews on Trustpilot.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Projects and tasks, capacity planning with workload views, time tracking and reports, retainer budgets, docs, automations and an AI add-on. What it lacks: no sprints, and it depends on Microsoft Azure.

Facts: HQ Germany (Hamburg) · founded 2019 · Basic $6, Standard $12, Professional $22 per user a month billed yearly, excl. VAT, as shown to me (the page title says from €5) · free trial · ISO 27001.

My take: awork plans people and hours rather than tickets, which is exactly what agencies need. The Azure hosting keeps it out of the top five. Best for: agencies and client-service teams. Not for: software teams.

Visit awork.com →

8. MeisterTask

Friendly Kanban boards with a free plan, hosted in Frankfurt

MeisterLabs GmbH in Vaterstetten near Munich, managed by Till Vollmer, makes MeisterTask and MindMeister. MeisterTask says its servers are in an ISO 27001-certified data centre in Frankfurt.

What users say. MeisterTask has 2.3/5 from 55 reviews on Trustpilot; users like the design but complain about cancellations and auto-renewals.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Kanban boards, a timeline, time tracking, recurring tasks, automations and integrations; the free plan has unlimited tasks and members across 3 projects. What it lacks: subtasks and custom fields only on Business, and no sprints or backlog.

Facts: HQ Germany (Vaterstetten) · free plan: 3 projects · Pro €12.50, Business €24 per user a month yearly (€15.50 and €31 monthly) · ISO 27001.

My take: MeisterTask is the easiest tool here to roll out to people who have never used project software. Power users will outgrow it. Best for: marketing, HR and non-technical teams. Not for: developers or complex projects.

Visit meistertask.com →

9. Zenkit

One project in many views – Kanban, table, Gantt and mind map

Zenkit is a venture of Axonic GmbH in Karlsruhe, Germany, led by CEO Martin Welker. Zenkit says its data runs on Amazon Web Services in Frankfurt, with AWS Luxembourg as the contractual partner – a US cloud in a German region.

What users say. Zenkit has 4.5/5 from 13 reviews on Trustpilot.

What it offers – and what it lacks. Switch the same data between Kanban, table, Gantt, mind map, calendar and list views, with chat, files and one-click migration from Trello, Asana and Microsoft To Do. What it lacks: no free plan on the pricing page, item and storage caps per plan, and hosting on AWS.

Facts: HQ Germany (Karlsruhe) · Plus €8 (max. 10 users), Team €12, Business €21 per seat a month, up to 16% less yearly, excl. VAT · 14-day trial · data on AWS Frankfurt.

My take: Zenkit is versatile and well liked, but small on reviews and hosted on AWS, which puts it ninth. Best for: teams that like to switch between board, table and timeline. Not for: teams avoiding US clouds.

Visit zenkit.com →

10. Vikunja

Open-source to-do and Kanban app from Lübeck – self-host it or use the €4 cloud

Vikunja is made by Konrad Langenberg Software in Lübeck, Germany, a bootstrapped one-founder business. The software is licensed under the AGPLv3, and the Vikunja Cloud runs at Hetzner in Falkenstein, Germany.

What users say. I could not load a Trustpilot profile for Vikunja on 25 October 2026, so I give no rating here.

What it offers – and what it lacks. List, Kanban, Gantt and table views, shared projects and task assignment, and imports from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To-Do. What it lacks: it is a task manager, not a full project suite – no time tracking, budgets or sprint reports.

Facts: HQ Germany (Lübeck) · self-hosting free · Cloud Personal €4 a month, 10 GB attachments, 14-day trial · custom plans with private instance · open source (AGPLv3) · cloud on Hetzner.

My take: Vikunja is the best open-source task manager in this list and runs on purely German infrastructure. It ranks tenth because it is a to-do app first and a project tool second. Best for: self-hosters and individuals who want a private Todoist or Trello. Not for: companies that need project controlling.

Visit vikunja.io →

11. Nextcloud Deck

Free Kanban boards inside your own Nextcloud

Deck is a Kanban app for Nextcloud, the self-hosted collaboration platform from Nextcloud GmbH in Stuttgart. It is free and runs wherever your Nextcloud runs. Boards hold stacks and cards with labels, assignees, due dates, Markdown descriptions and attachments, and can be shared with users and groups in real time. The App Store lists version 1.19.1 for Nextcloud 35.

Facts: HQ Germany (Stuttgart) · free app · self-hosted with Nextcloud · nextcloud.com runs at Hetzner (Helsinki).

Visit apps.nextcloud.com →

12. Sayr

Project management with a public portal for feedback and voting

Sayr is run by Doras Media Ltd in Ireland. It lets teams manage tasks internally while users submit feedback, vote and follow progress on a public portal, with GitHub sync and role-based access. Sayr says its compute and databases are in Czechia and files in Germany and Finland; its domain runs at VSHosting in Prague. The code is public (“source-available”) and can be self-hosted with Docker.

Facts: HQ Ireland · free: up to 5 members · Pro $3 per seat a month · self-hosted edition · EU hosting.

Visit sayr.io →

13. freispace

Resource and project scheduling for post-production and media companies

freispace GmbH in Berlin was founded by Leonardo Re and Alexander Hirschfeld to schedule edit suites, grading rooms, freelancers and equipment. It combines resource scheduling, Gantt-style project planning, to-dos, time tracking, invoicing and CO2e tracking. Its privacy policy names Hetzner as infrastructure provider, and the app runs at Hetzner in Nuremberg.

Facts: HQ Germany (Berlin) · Focus €349 a month with unlimited users · Frame from €629 a month · at least 10% off with an annual contract · demo on request.

Visit freispace.com →

14. HelpSpace

A German help desk with task boards for client work

HelpSpace GmbH (“Made in Germany”) builds a client service platform with shared inboxes, tickets, documentation sites and Kanban task boards. HelpSpace says it is hosted in an ISO 27001-certified data centre in the EU; its website runs on AWS.

Facts: HQ Germany · Starter $12, Team $20, Business $40 per user a month, excl. VAT · 15-day trial, no automatic renewal · EU data centre.

Visit helpspace.com →

What European project management tools cost

Prices as shown on each vendor’s pricing page on 25 October 2026, in the currency shown there, excluding VAT where the vendor says so.

How to choose a European project management tool

1. Decide where your data must live. If no US cloud is acceptable, pick a tool on European infrastructure (OpenProject, Stackfield, Planio, Taiga, Vikunja) or self-host.
2. Match the tool to your way of working. Software teams need issues and sprints (YouTrack, OpenProject, Planio, Taiga); agencies need capacity and time (awork, Projektron BCS); business teams want simple boards (MeisterTask, Zenkit).
3. Check the minimums. OpenProject’s cloud starts at 25 users, Planio caps projects per plan, and Stackfield’s Starter stops at 10 users.
4. Test with a real project. Most tools have a free plan or a 14-day trial – run one live project before you decide.
5. Plan your exit. Prefer tools with exports or open source, so you can leave again if you need to.

European project management tools: FAQ

My verdict: which European project management tool to choose

For most organisations, OpenProject is the best European project management tool: open source, agile and classic in one, and hosted in Europe or on your own servers. Software teams that want the richest feature set for free should look at YouTrack, accepting AWS in the cloud or self-hosting Server. If you need encryption and compliance in one all-in-one tool, choose Stackfield; for small dev teams on a budget, Planio.

Agencies should test awork, service companies that bill projects Projektron BCS, and non-technical teams MeisterTask. Whatever you pick, try it with one real project before you move everyone.